Paedophile postman preyed on victims on Facebook and could have snared 1,000

A paedophile postman who groomed children for sex on Facebook might have snared up to 1,000 victims, police fear.

A paedophile postman who groomed children for sex on Facebook might have snared up to 1,000 victims, police fear.

Vile Michael Williams, 28, yesterday admitted 27 child sex charges and asked for 460 others to be taken into account when he appeared in court.

But officers believe there are many more who have been too scared to come forward. Detective Inspector Simon Snell branded Williams a "predatory" pervert who targeted youngsters he met on his post round, on school runs as a cabbie and as a football club secretary.

He said: "We are unclear exactly how many children he met but we believe it may be up to a thousand."

Williams created at least eight different web profiles to lure his victims aged 11 to 16 on Facebook, Bebo and MSN. He posed as a teenage boy and a girl. The bisexual dyed his hair often to disguise his identity.

He tricked children into meeting him in parks, beaches and at his home in Penryn, Cornwall, where he abused them. He also got them to perform webcam sex acts.

One victim, a 15-year-old girl, said yesterday: "I hope he rots in prison."

Det Insp Simon Snell added: "The children he tricked into having sexual activity with him are distraught."

And he called for greater protection for kids on networking sites. He added: "Simple safety procedures could have stopped him. A panic button is a deterrent. The internet allowed this offender to contact as many people as he so desired."

Williams began his sick web hunt for children in 2005. After his arrest last November, police found 1,342 indecent images of youngsters on his computer.

He set up video cameras in the showers at Falmouth Football Club, where he was secretary, and he filmed kids undressing on beaches. Truro crown court judge Christopher Elwen told Williams, who will be sentenced later, to expect a long sentence.